The First Power | Blu-ray Review

Kino Lorber releases 1990 supernatural cop thriller The First Power on Blu-ray this month, though time has been nothing but unkind to the film’s B-movie tropes that capitalized on the star power of the then very popular Lou Diamond Phillips. Opening in April, 1990 to generally tepid response, it was the sophomore feature of director and screenwriter Robert Resnikoff, who would not direct or write any features thereafter (though he had a couple previous screenwriting credits that must have warranted some promise, including the Lewis Teague directed Jay Leno/Pat Morita action comedy Collision Course). By today’s more lofty standards, Resnikoff’s serial killing acumen seems woefully cornball.

L.A. homicide detective Russell Logan (Lou Diamond Phillips) is no stranger to hunting serial killers, but he may have met his match after catching the Pentagram killer (Jeff Kober). A street wise psychic (Tracy Griffith) warns Logan against what might happen if the occult dabbling killer gets the death penalty, but there’s nothing Logan can do to stop the law. Killing the culprit only releases his empowered spirit into a more dangerous realm as he’s now able to inhabit random bodies at will, continuing to terrorize Logan and the city, which forces the cop to seek assistance with the local Catholic community as a nun has been secretly keeping tabs on the killer.

How exactly do you stop a killer with immortal powers? As far as the film answers the question, you really don’t, with the Pentagram killer operating a bit like the demon from Fallen (1997), except with even less restriction. This lends all of the film an apathetic sheen, as in why bother to even combat him when all attempts to kill him are obviously futile? An anxious looking nun pretends to know how, but she’s as clueless as the rest of them, including Tracy Griffith’s clownishly red-headed psychic, who professes to get ‘closer’ to Phillip’s dubious cop by downing tequila shots in a bar in between bouts of tracking the killer. She’s fresh off a role in Sleepaway Camp III here, and would never have a more notable film role.

And as the all powerful entity whom Satan granted the ‘first power’ to, which is body hopping (the only being ever blessed with all three powers was Jesus Christ, but look what happened to him), Jeff Kobe (of “China Beach”) is not so much scary as indefatigably smug, his only creepy moments achieved by wearing what appears to be a leering mask that looks an awful lot like late-career Marlon Brando. As the protagonist, Phillips, who was only about 28 years old at the time, appears much too young for a seasoned law enforcement official that’s already cracked three high profile serial killer cases (but check out the laughable Mykleti Williamson death scene, brought about after he’s roughly knocked over in the street).

Disc Review

While Theo Van De Sande captures a gritty side of 1990 Los Angeles, there’s nothing else remotely of interest in this wanly drawn motion picture. Kino Lorber’s packaging would seem to promise a vintage pleasure that necessitated refurbishment, but though looking handsome in this HD widescreen, it hardly seems worth the effort.

Brand New Interviews with Phillips, Kober:
Featuring a new thirty minute interview with Phillips and twenty minutes with Kober, the stars talk about the enjoyable experience about filming The First Power and how they came to be involved with the project.

Final Thoughts

Immortal serial killers or other deadly, unstoppable forces were a heavy threat in a variety of genre vehicles at the time. The First Power’s synopsis feels highly similar to Wes Craven’s 1989 flick Shocker, concerning a serial killer that comes back from the dead via electricity (and, in that regard, Power also feels a bit like the 1988 film Pulse, wherein people are terrorized by deranged, unbeatable electricity, maimed by their household appliances). Silly and forgettable, unless you’re a fan of vintage Phillips or curious to see 1990 Los Angeles (including some locations of interest, including Olvera Street downtown), The First Power is a chore to sit through.

Film: ★/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc: ★★½/☆☆☆☆☆